Our family did a lot of traveling this summer. We started our trek to Iowa by stopping in Nashville. We heard some good music and ate delicious food. While walking through a candy store a nice gentleman gave me a dollar for each of the girls so they could buy something! It was so sweet. He said that his children are older and he misses the magic of little ones in a candy shoppe.
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| Posing with Elvis |
We spent the night in Southern Illinois and drove to Kirksville, MO to see Mark's parents. They moved a few months later so it was a nostalgic visit to see the house where he grew up. It was great to spend some time with grandma and grandpa.
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| A trio by the Tanners. This piano has since been demolished... |
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| They have a wall of heights throughout the years in the hallway, but as they can't take it with them, Joann and I made a growth ruler to transfer the info and bring with them. |
Then we continued up to Northern Iowa to see the Hansen grandparents. They returned from their mission the end of May and we had a reunion to greet them home. Several of my other siblings were there and it was great to all reconnect and let the cousins get lots of play time. We also visited some fun sites around Cedar Falls.
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| The amazing tree house in Marshalltown, IA We toured all 12 stories of it! |
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| The winding staircase |
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| Adriana has lost several teeth this summer, but one of her front teeth is still hanging on while the new ones have started growing in. It finally came out right before school started. |
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| The whole group. |
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| Stopping at an old blacksmith shop |
This next stop is a place my parents have talked about for years, but I've never seen. It is a matchstick museum. Patrick Acton has made each of these sculptures by gluing matches together. It is amazing to see up close.
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| Putting on the play Goldilocks |
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| All the cousins. |
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| Saying goodbye to Ahmet, our exchange student from Turkey about 8 years ago. |
We also got to attend Mt. Vernon days where my older sister lives. Part of the celebration was a fun run for the kids. The girls all did a fabulous job!
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| Abigail and Elena running |
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| Adriana running |
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| My almost twins. |
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| On rides with Tanner |
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| Adriana jumping! |
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| Everyone gathered to hear a presentation on Japan |
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| Sisterly love |
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| We surprised them with a birthday celebration after. Mom's birthday was in Japan and Dad's was a few weeks later. They turned 70 and 75! |
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| The night continued with some amazing fireworks!! |
A fun day at the park!!
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| Spending some time at the Timberledge pool |
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| The world's largest frying pan! |
We also visited a nature center that was super fun!
An evening of s'mores with some good friends.
Our own version of the Children of the Corn... way cuter then the original
Our last day in Iowa we decided to have an un-birthday party for all the kids. It was a hit! They each got a present and we had ice cream after.
We had a great time and then continued our trek westward to UT. Luckily we had a caravan of Hondas equipped with food, drink, activities and a large selection of movies. Much better than covered wagons.
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